9 Veganuary recipes you will love

After the rich indulgences of the Christmas period, it’s time for a lighter and less indulgent January, with more and more people getting on board for Veganuary, or Vegan January.   

But just because you are going vegan for the month doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your favourite cakes and bakes. It’s perfectly possible to make stunning cakes without eggs and butter that you simply won’t believe are vegan! 

This easy, one-step vegan ginger cake recipe is sticky and intense as well as egg and diary free. It really is as easy as bunging it all in a bowl or food processor and mixing. It is the easiest and best vegan (or otherwise ginger cake) you will ever make.

These individual vegan blueberry frangipane tarts are like a blueberry version of a bakewell tart. They consist of crisp shortcrust pastry filled with almond frangipane, blueberry jam, fresh blueberries and flaked almonds.

The eggs are replaced with the magic ingredient that is aquafaba (the liquid drained from a tin of chickpeas) which works perfectly to create a frangipane that is textured somewhere between a cake and a baked custard.

This cake, with its layers of chocolate and strawberry, would make a great centrepiece for a party. The cake recipe includes chai spices for an exotic flavour—you can use vegan chai latte from the store, or blend your own. A great tip for vegan baking in this recipe is using a splash of vinegar to react with the bicarbonate of soda, and give the cake its lightness.

I love brownies, especially when they’re super rich, soft and fudgy. Chocolate and cherry is an absolutely classic flavour combination—just think of all those European cakes such as Black Forest gateau or Schertorte, and here this combination is used in a delicious vegan bake. I would think that if you can find some sour cherries, the combination would be especially good.

This vegan chocolate cake with whole pears looks impressive, but is actually very simple to make, with the added advantage that you don’t need to pre-cook the pears. It’s called peekaboo pear cake, because of the cute way the pears peek out. Choose pears that are nicely ripe for best results; small to medium sized pears work well. Select three similar sized pears that fit well together in a loaf tin. It’s alright if they touch each other, that way every slice has pear in it.

Everyone who loves a crumble should try this healthy version of a classic crumb cake with a wholegrain shortbread made from spelt, nut butter, an addictive poppy-seed filling, refreshingly sweet blackberries and covered with cinnamon. The crumbles are made without oil, butter or the like and taste just as good if not better than the original. A simple but special recipe that works perfectly as brunch, dessert and coffee and cake.

Brownies again, but I have no shame in that; as I said, I absolutely love a brownie. These look absolutely superb, with half a walnut carefully placed in the centre of each one. They’re made with pre-roasted pumpkin for a sweet and moist result.

Some straightforward substitutions in this recipe—the pastry is made with coconut oil instead of butter, so rolling out and transferring to the dish will take a little care, but the results are worth it. The filling is thickened with cornstarch for a proper wobbly result.

A simple cupcake recipe that can be made in a few minutes—simply mix all the ingredients, spoon into cupcake cases and bake. There are no egg substitutes used, so this recipe is a real store-cupboard standby. Flavours can be altered as you wish—vanilla, citrus, rosewater or whatever you fancy.

Helen Best-Shaw, is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer & photographer. She has been blogging at Fuss Free Flavours for over 10 years

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Read more: Tips on how to become vegan

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